Focus on the next move

Just because something happened that was outside of your control doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility to deal with circumstances the best you can. Focus on the next move. The next move makes the future easier or harder.

When people’s actions have outcomes that don’t line up

When people’s actions have outcomes that don’t line up with how they see themselves, they tend to insulate their egos by blaming other people or unfavorable circumstances. Phrases like, “It was a great idea just poorly executed,” “We did the best we could,” and “We never should’ve been in this situation in the first place,” are often manifestations of this self-preserving tendency.

It’s not that working hard necessarily makes you luckier

It’s not that working hard necessarily makes you luckier. It’s that putting in a lot of work positions you so that you will see more opportunities and be prepared to pounce on those opportunities because you’re prepared ...This spoke to me so strongly as a metaphor for life.

It's generally better to over-communicate

It's generally better to over-communicate. If you wait to reply because you don't have an answer yet (or because you don't want to share bad news), the other party often ends up making assumptions about what the delayed reply might mean. Silence frustrates and confuses people. Better to communicate early and often.

Ambition vs Entitlement

Ambition is when you expect yourself to close the gap between what you have and what you want. Entitlement is when you expect others to close the gap between what you have and what you want.

If you want to be a curious elder

For a great payoff, be especially curious about the things you are not interested in. This is particularly true if you want to be a curious elder.

Every time you’re given a choice

Listen. Every time you’re given a choice between disappointing someone else and disappointing yourself, your duty is to disappoint that someone else. Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself.